The Lights off the Street
by SleepySafi
Summary: Hey, Readers. Fi, here. My first story! THis is gonna be a long one, about my OC and The Great Jay Gatsby! I have a huge crush on him, though the one represented in this story is Leonardo DiCaprio.


The Lights off the Street.

_((Hi, there. You guys can call me Fi. Until I dive into what this story is, First, let me explain who I am._

_I am a writer.  
I am a girl, not a punching bad. Rudeness about my writing WILL NOT be tolerated. Constructive criticism is fine, but anything past that will be shot down like an enemy fighter jet.  
I do not write smut. I write fantasy/fiction/romance. Almost ALL my writing with contain romance.  
If we can reach an understanding here, then you should enjoy my stories._

_NOW! Let me explain me story._

_This is a 'The Great Gatsby' fanfiction with my own character, Neraida. Neraida will be introduced often during these next few stories, so I'm gonna give you a bit of background information. Neraida Gennotou Dimiourgia (In Greek, the proper lettering of this name means 'Fairy born of Creation') was a young girl who was orphaned at the time of birth. She's twenty three years old, and about 5'5. (Think of Taissa Farmiga. She's her faceclaim!) Usually, her stories will be in modern times. But with this AU, she'll be back in the time of the great Jay Gatsby. IN this story, Gatsby never died. He was never shot, never killed. He never went out swimming, and the man who shot him couldn't find him that day, because he wasn't there. So the only blood that was shed was the Gunman's._

_Please, read on and enjoy!))_

  
The rain dripped cold against the hot summer's pavement, the street lights that lined the road causing the black tar to glisten like a young girl's diamond ring. In down town New York, at nine o'clock at night, the sidewalks were covered with the young money of the nineteen twenties; Flapper Girls dressed in their glittering gowns, Dapper gentleman tightened up in their proud suits and ties, all holding umbrella's and Swarming towards the local Speak Easy. They all had plans of getting so drunk they couldn't see. Bad decisions were bound to be made, both constantly and repeatedly. The same mistakes on different nights.

A narrow ally that was fit snug between a shoe salesman and a Jewelry Store was lit up every once and awhile by the passing automobiles, giving sparse sight down it's dirty walkway. Aside from the newspaper that was soaked in motor oil and rain, and the varied trashes that littered every corner, there was nothing but a small figure with it's back pressed against the wall. It's slender legs and red high heels would definitely prove that she was a woman, her dress covered by a soft, black faux fur coat. Her blonde hair spiraled down to her shoulders with curled loops, and a cigarette dangled from her lips like a loose screw. As the smoke wafted from the white paper, it looped around in swirls or spirals that made their way up like a chimney. She sighed heavily to herself as her bright eyes scrolled through the place she called her 'silent escape from the Hussies and Handymen'. _This place is just as bad as any other… but it's better than inside… _She thought to herself. That night, she'd been walking around town when everything became flooded with noise and the 'completely illegal' scent of booze. She'd gotten lost in one of the crowds, and wasn't able to find her way back to her car. So, while she wasn't standing on the side of the street with her hands waving in the air, she was smoking her last couple cigarettes with a lost glance toward the street.

"Ugh…" She grumbled as her cigarette's last embers fell to the wet ground. Flicking it down, she turned back towards the bustling town life, and went back to work. Her arms went into the air, and she called out loudly to get her voice above the sounds of honking and squeaking tires.

"HEY!" She yelled, wiggling her fingers to give herself a bit more chance at being seen. Car after car drove past her with not so much as a passing glance… it began to feel like she'd never get back home. With her arms dropping to her chest to hold her coat close, her head fell and gave way to the wind and rain. Having lost all hope, in that moment a bright, yellow light blinded her eyes. She stepped back and winced as a loud honking car pulled right up against the curb, her eyes squinting to both shield them from the light and see who was in the driver's seat. Of course, she couldn't see the person, but she definitely heard his voice.

"Hey there, ma'am!" His voice sounded like soft pearls rolling through water… Smooth. "I couldn't help myself but to notice you're standing here, in the –RAIN- no doubt, with no umbrella or nothin'!" She still couldn't see him, but her eyes focused in on the car he was driving. It looked to be a beautiful, dark blue Rolls Royce with white trim. Obviously, this man had some money. The top was up due to the rain, which made it even more difficult to see his face. Giving a deep grunt, she held her arms tight against her as she made her way to the window of his car. With the light no longer in her eyes, and his window down, she finally got a good look.

He had light brown hair that leaned over to the right side of his face, slicked down without looking too oily, like most styles did. His eyes were a beautiful blue color, much brighter than his car's paint. Neraida became… lost in them, more or less. Lost to the point that he felt the need to reach out from the window and gently tap her shoulder.

"Hey, Hey? You okay, miss?" He said a bit loudly.

"H-Huh?" She muttered, shaking her head carefully to snap herself out of it. "Oh, I am so sorry. It must be the cold!" She offered a half-smile to him.

"Well!" He began, not missing a beat. "As I was saying, Ma'am, I noticed you were standing here and I just COULD NOT allow myself to let you stand here alone!" He offered a deep grin, bowing his head a bit as he reached back in and over to the passenger door, popping it open. "Please, allow me to give you a ride to wherever you are goin'!" He looked to her expectantly, not a single sign that he had any doubt in his mind that she'd get in. The rain was starting to come down heavier on top of them, and as much as she actually wanted to be worried, and say no… She just couldn't.

"I… Argh, I-I guess…" Making her way carefully to the other side, of the car, she slid into the warm atmosphere of the vehicle and closed the door behind her, still holding her coat closed with one hand. As the water dripped off of every visible part of skin, he hit the gas, and they went down the street like a bullet out of a loaded gun. 

====================================================================================

Speeding down the road, the whole space between them was too quiet for his ears to handle. After all, he'd just picked up a lonesome woman on the road! He couldn't just let things remain awkward… It was ungentlemanly. So, as he straightened himself up on the seat, he cleared his throat and managed to glance over at her once or twice.

"Obviously, I can't take you home without knowin' where you live." He said warmly, giving another glance to her before his eyes returned to the road. "Mind tellin' me where that is? I promise I won't tell anyone." He snickered lightly as he gave a jerk to the wheel, narrowly avoiding the car right infront of turned her head to look over at him, pursing her lips roughly against each other before she heaved in a deep breath through her nostrils.

"I hate to say this, sir, because you obviously do intend on taking me to my… place of residence.. But, I don't actually have one…" She murmured all too quietly for his tastes.

Suddenly, he surprised her by slamming on the breaks, almost throwing her into the dashboard while cars swerved madly to avoid him..

"WHAT!?" He exclaimed, looking her over with wild eyes. He quickly pressed on the gas and pulled over to the side of the road, where cars were still honking at him while profanities were yelled out their windows. "A young lady like you has nowhere to live!? Why, that's insanity!" The whole time his voice rose, it never reached an angry yell. He truly sounded like he cared about her safety, which he did. After a few minutes of silence, he shook his head and gave her a pitiful look. "Is there anyone, ANYONE you can stay with? At all?"

"No, sir." She muttered softly, looking down to her feet within the darkness of the car. The way she looked made him want to wrap her up in his coat and shield her from whatever made her look that way.

"Oh, Darling…" He looked her over with the deep feeling that he'd seen her somewhere before. "Where have you been staying, then?"

"…" He watched her pull in a deep breath before she finally spoke, the poor girl never removing her eyes off her feet. "My car…"

"Oh, Dear God." He gave an exasperated huff as he threw his arms up and into the air. His hands came down to rest on the steering wheel, and he gripped it firmly. After a few more moments of contemplative silence, he quickly began shifting the car back into gear. "No, no, that simply will not do." He said the whole time as he was pulling in to join with the rest of traffic. "I simply cannot let this be."

"What ever do you mean?" He could hear her asking from beside him.

"I am not gonna let a beautiful young lady, such as yourself, sleep in a dumb old car." He picked up a bit in speed as they began to approach the outskirts of the city. "You are going to stay at my house, with me. I have plenty of room."

"Excuse me, but, sir, I just met you! Why, you could be a… a serial killer!" He chuckled at her accusation. "Why are you laughin'?!" She grunted. "I'm serious! You could take me home and… and chop me up and I will have never been the wiser!"

"I can promise you I am not going to do that, Ma'am." He reassured.

"You can't promise me anything! I don't even know where you live!" Her voice began to rise much more than his ever did.

"I can tell you that right now!" He began, giving her a glance as they began to drive through the dirty outskirts of town. "I live in the community of West Egg. It's a lovely place, just down past these mining fields!" He lifted his hand off the wheel for a brief moment to point down the road.

"That…Ugh." She sort of gave up, leaning back against her seat as she murmured to herself… "That isn't the point…"

He chuckled again to himself, glancing over at her before his eyes came right back to the road.

"You'll be okay, Ma'am. I promise…"

=====================================================================================

There she was. It was almost eleven o'clock at night, and she was sitting in a strangers car, going to his home in West egg.

_We promised ourselves this would never happen again…_

She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes tight. What would her mother say? What would her father say? She never got to know them, but hell, they probably wouldn't be happy. She'd made so many mistakes in her life, and this was probably going to be another.

_A stranger. A complete stranger. He just pulled up to me, and now I'm in his car. For God's sake. What've you done to yourself?_

Accepting 'Pity rides' had become a habit of Neraida's. She'd been living in her car for a few months, and that was since her boyfriend kicked her out to have some floosy move in. She'd never had a place of her own. She was an orphan when she was just born, and, while her adoptive parents tired their hardest, they could never get her to feel as accepted by them as they wanted her to. It was a never ending cycle for her… Not a cycle she enjoyed, either. But she was glad she wasn't one of the girls who depended on their beauty just to get by. No… No. She had to be classier than that. Subconsciously, she lifted her head up in mock-pride. She could almost feel the strange man's eyes on her as she did it, and she could have sworn she heard a little chuckle.

"We're almost there." He muttered, eyes returning back to the road.

"You sure do live far away from all the lights." Neraida sighed, looking out the window as she spoke. She felt a prickly sensation all over her… Oh lord, she was right. He was going to kill her. For some reason, he let out a loud laugh. It was boisterous, but it wasn't as terrifying as the young girl expected. If anything, it was…almost melodic.

"Oooh, the city lights have nothin' on me, Ma'am." He was grinning as wide as he could, eyes still focused on the road. She glanced over to him and quirked a brow.

"That certainly is some confidence you have there, Mister." His grin was contagious. Even though she was scared to her wits end, she couldn't help but feet her own lips twitch into a little curl when she looked at him.

"Oh, I have plenty of reason to have it." He glanced to her and shook his head a bit, still grinning. "Oh. Looks like we're here." He carefully hit the breaks, keeping Neraida in her seat this time.

They'd come up to a large gate, the path behind it twisting some into a few large trees. She couldn't see his home from this part, but when she looked up and out of her window, she could see a large portion of what she could only describe as a castle. It was made of stone, but it was so simply beautiful, she lost her breath.

"Oh, My God…" She murmured to herself. This led him to chuckle again. "It must be interesting to live by someone who…owns that place…" She heard him laugh again from the driver's side as he popped open his car door.

"I'll be right back." He muttered, still stifling a laugh. He closed the door behind him, and rushed toward the gates in the rain. While he was shuffling around for something in his pockets, Neraida took the time to look him over in the light of the car. He was dressed in a black suit, but not one meant for too special of occasions. He was obviously tall… more than likely a lot taller than herself. He looked fit, too, as when he used his key to open the gate, he could push them both without any struggle… and they looked to be heavy. As he rushed back to the car, he flung the door open and sat his wet self down on the driver's seat.

"Lord, I'm sorry for how long that took, Ma'am." He looked over to her with an apologetic grin.

"It didn't take any time at all." She murmured. "You should have asked me for help, though."

"You?! A lady, who was already living in her car, help me, a capable young man?" He scoffed at the thought, carefully turning the key to drive the car forward. She glanced back at the gates one more time, quirking a brow.

"You gonna go back and close those, Mister?"

"No, no, I'll have one of the boys come out to do it." He shrugged it off casually.

"Oh, you have children?" She blinked softly.

"No, ma'am, I do not." He grinned a bit as they snaked through the driveway.

Perplexed, Neraida looked back out and focused on the passing trees. She gently placed her fingers on the edge of the mirror, smiling gently as she watched the rain drops fall down on the leaves. It was almost magical to her. Suddenly, the manor she'd seen in the distance was right infront of her.

And the reason hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh, my God!" He watched her with a smile as she called out in surprise. "This is your home!?" Her wonderstruck eyes darted over to him, full of mystified awe.

"Yes, Ma'am, it is…" He slowly opened his door, stepping out from it and closing it behind him as he tried to hurry from the rain. He walked over to her side and opened her own carefully. "I have plenty of room for a little door mouse such as yourself…" He chuckled at her, holding his hand out for the lady. She took it gently, stepping off the vehicle and allowing her red heels to gently touch the pavement. He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, and kept her hand in his own as they both rushed towards the door. A man dressed in a suit was already there to open it for them, and as they ran up the stairs, he made sure to keep perfect time, so they wouldn't have to wait. As soon as they were inside, the butler closed it carefully and stood there, waiting for his instructions.

Neraida was shaking in the man's arms, and he couldn't help but feel bad.

"Please," He called back to the butler. "Get this girl a warm towel. And tell the other's to prepare one of the bedrooms close to mine…" He paused, then started to say something else. "Ah, Carter, the one with the white curtains." As if knowing what that meant exactly, Carter began to get everything in order.

"I… You're going through so much trouble for me…" He froze at the young woman's shivering voice, and looked down to her, still holding her close.

"It's no trouble at all, ma'am." He murmured, giving her one soft nod as Carter returned with the towel. Reluctantly, he led her go as she rushed over for the butler to envelope her in it's warmth.

"Please, come with me." Carter spoke, nodding down to her as he rubbed her shoulders within the dry cloth. "They'll have your room ready in just a moment. I'll take you to the room's bathroom to take a nice, warm bath while you wait." She followed him carefully as he turned.

"I wish you a good night, Ma'am!" The stranger called over to her as she traversed the hall way. Sighing softly, he turned to take off his shoes. It'd been such a long day…

"Wait!" He heard called out from behind him. Turning quickly to face the voice, which was hers, he quirked an eyebrow.

"Hm?" Neraida ran up to him, leaving Carter waiting in the backround.

"You're doing all these things for me. Letting me stay in your home. Letting me stay in one of your rooms, and use your shower. More than likely clothing me. And I don't even know your name…" She paused in her speaking to take a breath… "Please, Tell me who you are…?"

He gasped, shaking his head quickly as he lifted his hand up to his forehead.

"Oh, My God! Please. Forgive my lack of manors. First, I must simply as you yours…"

"Neraida." She whispered carefully. "Neraida Dimiourgia. I-It's greek."

"Such a fine name." He responded," My name…" Reaching down to take her hand in his own so he could lift it up to kiss it, he murmured…

"Is Jay Gatsby." 


End file.
